Rib

Rib

Just behind the chuck at the top of the critter, this is the top of the rib cage from the 5th through the 12th rib.

Cuts from here don’t do a lot of work moving the animal around, so they’re relatively tender -- generally speaking. They tend to have a fair bit of fat to keep them moist during the cooking process, and they’re quite tasty and lovely to boot. Because of all this, they’re also quite expensive.

This is the home of the rib eye, prime rib, back ribs, and lots of other cuts with “rib” in the name.

Rib eyes, being what many consider the ultimate steak, do well seared hot and fast without liquid.

Ribs sheared off of the rib eye and packaged separately, called back ribs, do well in some low and slow (either wet or dry) method, as they’re heavy with connective tissue.